Electronic devices that employ battery compartments for holding one or more batteries are well known in the art. The battery compartments on such devices need to be accessible to permit insertion of one or more batteries, as well as replacement of the batteries as needed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,413,499 and 6,117,575 disclose pivoting battery compartments for holding 9-volt batteries that purport to facilitate battery installation into electronic devices.
In certain electronic devices it is especially important for a battery to be properly installed and for a depleted battery to be replaced promptly by a fresh battery. An example of such a device is a smoke alarm. Many smoke alarms utilize one or more batteries, for example a single 9-volt battery, as a back-up power source to power operation of the alarm in the event mains power is absent. If mains power is interrupted, it is critical that the battery be present to ensure continued and proper operation of the alarm. Due to the important role batteries play in many smoke alarm designs, there has been a continuing effort in the industry to design smoke alarms to help ensure that a battery is properly installed in the alarm and to provide an indication to a user when a battery is not installed or when a battery needs replacement.
There is a continuing need for electronic devices, for example life safety devices including smoke alarms, in which battery installation is simplified and which are designed to help ensure that a battery is properly installed.